Five Towners build latrines in the Dominican Republic

Posted
Wednesday, March 19, 2014 3:03 pm

A half dozen Five Towns high school students spent winter break in the Dominican Republic helping to build latrines. From left in front of the B3 team mural were Amanda Greene, Julie Troyetsky, Natalie Dorfman, Julia Weinstock, Alexa Cohen and Georgina Hudja.

Courtesy Marc Greene Communications

While their peers may have hit the beaches in Florida or were skiing in Vermont, a half dozen Five Towns high school seniors spent their February break volunteering in the Dominican Republic with Builders Beyond Borders (B3), a Connecticut-based nonprofit.

Amanda Greene, Julie Troyetsky, Natalie Dorfman, Julia Weinstock and Alexa Cohen from Hewlett High and Georgina Hudja from Lawrence were in Tio Felin, a small town near Santo Domingo, were part of team that built 18 latrines for a community of 55 families that were sharing one.

This is a serious health issue as 70 percent of Dominican Republic resident don’t have access to adequate bathroom facilities, B3 officials said. Improper sanitation is the second leading cause of death of children under 5-years-old globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Greene and Troyetsky got involved with (B3 four years and were team leaders. All the girls had the distinction of being the only New Yorkers involved with the organization. The entire B3 team also painted a wall mural in Tio Felin.

B3 provides high school students with opportunities to perform humanitarian service, learn about diverse cultures and hopefully develop a lifelong commitment to assisting others by taking part in these community-based construction projects.

Sid Tanenbaum, who lived in Woodmere and owned a metal-stamping shop in Far Rockaway, where he was known more for his charitable ways than his two-handed set shot, has been honored for the past 30 years with a basketball tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Five Towns.